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After an arduous climb up the grand tower of Reverie, you’re finally allowed to fight Barnabas, the King of Waloed, on even footing. Of course,Final Fantasy 16isn’t going to hold anything back - this is the final Dominant of the game that you’ll have to fight, and he’s absolutely no pushover.
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What awaits you is a true test of the combat skills you’ve been honing and developing for the entire game - you’ll have to employ your best evasion tactics, capitalize on every window for damage that you’re able to get your hands on, and survive a long battle with multiple phases.
First Phase
The fight against Barnabas begins with the easiest of the three phases you have ahead of you, but that is not a license to let your guard down.Barnabas is a very tough enemyand is among the most aggressive foes in the entire game.
The boss will attack you relentlessly and is agile to boot, able toteleport short distances. He will utilize this throughout the battle to try and catch you unawares, so it’s recommended that you keep your lock-on switched on at all times.
The majority of Barnabas’s attacks in this phase of the fight are melee-oriented, as you’ll see below.
Description
Slashing Combo
Barnabas makes two slashing attacks at you consecutively. He can also use a version of this attack that begins with a short-range thrust instead of a slash.
Both halves of this attack come out quickly, it’s important to remember that he will always follow up the first horizontal slash with a second.
Riposte
Barnabas will stand still for a few moments, automatically guarding against every attack you make at him. If he manages to block three attacks in a row, he will counter with a large, circular attack.
When you notice that Barnabas is guarding your regular attacks, either hold off or use an Eikonic attack to disrupt him.
Wave of Darkness
Barnabas swings his sword in a verticle slice. A burst of darkness erupts from the ground in a line towards you.
Barnabas usually puts distance between himself and you before using this - this should give you enough warning to avoid the projectile.
In later phases, the initial attack is followed up by a horizontal slice that summons a horizontal arc of darkness.
Gungnir
Barnabas jumps into the air and throws a spear of darkness at you. This attack has three parts - first, the spear impact, then a shockwave from the spear, and finally, a circular damage zone that surrounds the spear.
To avoid this attack, time a Precision Dodge away from the impact zone, immediately jump over the shockwave that emits from the spear, and then get out of the telegraphed damage zone before it activates.
Repeating Slash
Barnabas makes a single, heavily-telegraphed slash forwards which will create a zone of constant slashes for a few moments. You can tell this is going to happen when Barnabas leans forwards with his hand on his sheath.
Dodge out of and then remain away from this attack to avoid damage.
The Lord’s Measure
Barnabas summons lines that hang in the air for a few moments before becoming charged with darkness and causing damage.
Keep an eye on these lines, as they will hang in the air for a while, even as Barnabas uses his next attacks.
In later phases, this attack will summon far more lines and cover far more of the battlefield, making it a significant hazard.
Take the time to try andget used to the attacks used in this phase- this is the safest time to get used to them, and since he will use all of these attacks throughout the battle, becoming familiar with them will improve your overall survival ability.
As with most enemies that like to teleport,Bahamut’s Impulseattack is a great one to equip for this fight. It will track and damage Barnabus regardless of his location and penchant for teleporting around to dodge your attacks.
The end of this phase is signified by a lengthycutscenein which Clive and Barnabas both enter their fully-primed forms as Odin and Ifrit. This involves aCinematic Strikeprompt, after which you’ll enter the second phase.
Second Phase
In this phase, you’re given a farnarrower battlefieldto fight on. This will make avoiding Barnabas’s attacks slightly more difficult, requiring you to time your dodges efficiently rather than simply getting away from the attacks.
Speaking of, Barnabas adds some new moves to his arsenal in this phase.
Blinding Steel
Barnabas creates a very long line of dark energy that spans the battlefield in front of him. After a charge-up, the entire battlefield in front of him will be covered in dark energy.
The only way to completely avoid this attack is to dash right to Barnabas and then get behind him.
Downward Slash
Barnabas teleports into the air and then slams his sword down onto the ground. The sword then ignites in a large, explosive line attack.
Dodge this attack to the side instead of away or towards Barnabas to avoid the explosive followup.
In addition to these new attacks, you’ll have to be on the lookout for theupgraded versions of hisWave of Darkness and Lord’s Measureattacks. As long as you can deal with his regular moveset, though, the new attacks shouldn’t cause you much trouble.
Remember tostop attacking with regular physical attackswhen he startsguardingagainst them!
After damaging Barnabas enough, he’ll start anothercutscenein which he becomes Odin. This cutscene involves aCinematic Clash, after which the final phase will begin.
Third Phase
At the beginning of this phase,Barnabas will begin ‘gathering darkness’- this replaces his health bar with a separate, purple bar that you’ll have to deplete and begins a countdown. Unlike other bosses in the game who are kind enough to stay still during these phases,Barnabas will not let up on his assault.
You’ll need to deal quite a lot of damage to interrupt his attack, so don’t save up your ultimate attacks for a Stagger that might not come if you fail this damage gate. Moves likeGiga Flare and Earthen Furyare great for this purpose.
After interrupting his ultimate attack, you’ll get to know yet more new moves.
Great Divide
Barnabas charges up his sword, making it massive. He then performs two attacks, a verticle slice in your direction, then a very large horizontal swing that covers most of the battlefield. This attack will be followed by The All-wielder.
These attacks are very easy to see coming and, therefore, easy to dodge. Do not underestimate the horizontal follow-up, as it has more range than you might expect.
The All-wielder
Barnabas swings his charged-up sword forwards and fires a massive beam of darkness in front of him.
Dodge to the side and dash to Barnabas to avoid this attack and get some very easy damage in.
While Barnabas uses thesame general moves that he had in the previous phases, he will use them inquick successionhere, letting them overlap more aggressively. For example, he will follow The Lord’s Measure immediately with Gungnir, making it easy to dodge into damage zones or panic and suffer a strong attack.
After damaging him enough, Barnabas will teleport to the sky in the distance. Here, he will become Odin and then use Woden Worhte Woes. He will then make the following attacks:
These attacks are quite easy to see coming, but since they are so large, you’ll want to be sure you’redodging the attacks themselvesand not just the particle and beam effects that come with the attacks. This could lead you tododge too early.
After the punching attack, Odin disappears, and Barnabas returns, ready for the very final part of the fight.
Circle of Malius
Barnabas turns into a hazardous spinning wheel and makes two drive-by attacks at you.
You’ll be able to see these attacks coming and should be able to time your dodges reliably.
Dual Stab
This is similar to Downward Slash from earlier phases, but instead creates a circular radius of damage around Barnabas upon impact. It can be dodged in the same way.
The new attacks won’t show up often, and the rest of the fight is largely the same as the rest of the third phase. Just keep the assault up, avoiding the trickier attacks as best as you’re able to, and you’ll eventually eliminate Barnabas.
For winning, you’ll get the following rewards in addition to Odin’s abilities:
8,000
600
7,000
